Historically, thread lockers have been liquids of varying viscosity. These liquids have met with limited acceptability owing to handling properties. Liquid thread lockers tend to be difficult to apply in overhead settings and are generally considered to be imprecise owing to drippage from the cap running down the exterior of the primary package and seepage of the material to places where locking is deemed undesirable. As a result of these handling properties, a conventional liquid thread locker typically requires a secondary package to prevent leakage onto surrounding tools or apparel.
Various attempts have been made in the prior art to add various waxes, polymers, and organic species to a liquid thread locker composition in order to address these limitations. Representative of these attempts are U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,547,851; 4,497,916 and 6,451,927. In particular, U.S. Pat. No. 6,451,927 B1 utilizes an organically thickened anaerobic composition provided in a lipstick-type applicator. While this thickened composition is effective in allowing overhead thread locker application and the prevention of drippage, the method of application of wiping a bolt across a raised applicator face tends to smear thread locker composition onto the outer surfaces of the applicator so as to require applicator wiping prior to cap replacement. Additionally, under compressive forces, liquid and conventionally thickened thread locker compositions tend to be forced from the site where adhesive bonding is actually required. Thus, there exists a need for a gelled anaerobic composition that is provided in a readily resealable applicator where the gelled anaerobic composition is delivered with greater precision.